ITItaly

Italy
Copyright © 2009 National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.

Your Stories From Abroad

ItalyItaly

After Weeks Of Searching, I Found My Egg

My mother once told me the story of her trip to Florence when she was my age. Speaking no Italian, she was often forced to resort to gestures to communicate ... read more

 

ItalyItaly

Why You Should Always Carry A 70-Pound Suitcase When Traveling With Strangers

“Ladies and gentlemen, be advised that the last train for Florence has already departed from Rome.” I was on a train from Sicily to Rome, where I needed to make ... read more

Janet Lawrence
 

ItalyItaly

In Naples, My Blonde Hair Made For Danger

“You’re not going out alone, are you?” I had stopped at the front desk of my hostel to get directions to Naples’ harbor, and a young man was just ... read more

 

ItalyItaly

The Drunk And Furious Soccer Fans Who Welcomed Me To Italy

Siena couldn’t come soon enough. There I was, barricaded in a train compartment with a few dozen enraged Italian soccer fans trying to break down the door. Suddenly all ... read more

 

AustraliaAustralia

GermanyGermany

IndiaIndia

ItalyItaly

JapanJapan

TOP 5: International Western Films

Two cowboys stare at each other, their hands hovering over their six shooters. A tumbleweed blows across the dirt road. Then, suddenly, a group of German-speaking Native Americans storms in ... read more

 

see all stories |

Tips

Health

flagItaly

How toilet seat covers are going to pay my way through college.

In Italy, for hygienic purposes, you must wear plastic gloves when touching fruit at the grocery store. There's also a change bowl to avoid hand-to-hand contact when exchanging cash ... read more

by Alessandra Roqueta

05 Mar 2009
Slang

flagItaly

Good luck, and I'm thinking of you

Two of my favorite Florentine phrases: "In boco al lupe" literally means, "In the mouth of the wolf," and is used to say, "Good luck." "Squelo" is a verb that ... read more

by Vanessa Vigneault

18 Mar 2009
Being an American

flagItaly

Italian Military Boys

A friend and I were on a train from Milan to Vicenza, chatting to each other in English, even though we both spoke fluent Italian. It was the end of ... read more

by Madeline Jhawar

27 Mar 2009

see all tips |

Blog Posts

ItalyItaly

Arrivederci Colorado, Ciao Sicilia (Part UNO)

Blog Post 2   Arrivederci Colorado. Ciao Sicilia.        I am not sure how I did it; really I have no idea at this point, but I have arrived in Roma with Deb Medved, my luggage, and believe it or not my sanity still intact. This was not what Italians call ... read more

Natalie Medved

ItalyItaly

a word about plans

In the past few days I have gotten on the wrong train, went to the sea, ate pizza by a fountain, met some Italians, went to the museum, found the best gelato, drank by a fountain and jumped in a fountain. And of course I danced and laughed a lot. ... read more

Varya Larionova

ItalyItaly

Christmas Adventures

 This year’s was a Christmas filled with umbrella carcasses and culturally diverse hats. I took the three week Spanish holiday as an opportunity to do some exploring in Europe with but was met with some of the worse winter weather that Europe has seen in years. Up until late November, it ... read more

Carolyn Nelson

ItalyItaly

Rome, Italy – Story’s Love Chiseled in Stone

Rome, Italy - the city bustles with people, but there is a shady place that smells of earth, where fragrance of blossoms lingers in the air, where birds sing in the trees, where breeze rustles the leaves, and where you’ll forget in quietude of it all you’re in the heart ... read more

J. Almon Polk

ItalyItaly

Umbria, Italy – Peace in the Woods and an Old Man in the Shade

In Umbria, Italy, rising above a medieval town of Spoleto is the sacred mountain of Monteluco. Saint Francis of Assisi meditated here for peace. Today on its ilex-covered slope you’ll find an old hermitage. But there are no monks. The sanctuary has become an inn, schemed by an old man who was a Pope’s ... read more

J. Almon Polk

AustriaAustria

BulgariaBulgaria

GermanyGermany

GreeceGreece

HungaryHungary

ItalyItaly

RomaniaRomania

TurkeyTurkey

United KingdomUnited Kingdom

Two Weeks, Ten Countries: a backpacker's itinerary

Just over two weeks spent traveling through ten European countries. It was completely worth every minute spent planning the trip - but you're welcome to save yourself some time by stealing parts of our itinerary. We used an Interrail flexipass.  It was valid for 10 days of travel within 22, and ... read more

Anjali Kandamuttu

AustriaAustria

GermanyGermany

GreeceGreece

HungaryHungary

ItalyItaly

RomaniaRomania

SpainSpain

Sri LankaSri Lanka

TurkeyTurkey

United KingdomUnited Kingdom

Vatican City (Holy See)Vatican City (Holy See)

Lying in Church: The Backpacker's Religion

My friend Jade likes to lie in church. On the ground. It gets tricky in a house of worship; sometimes she has to settle for kneeling.  In the Hagia Sofia, she had barely a minute to soak in the 6th-century dome before a security guard dragged her up.   But ... read more

Anjali Kandamuttu

ItalyItaly

Venice, Italy

On our train to Venice we met another interesting person, confirming my suspicion that Danielle had bought a 'cool people magnet' for this trip. ... that was  a lame joke let me try again... On our train to Venice we met a guy named Ricardo, not the one who slaps ... read more

Matthew Delman

ItalyItaly

Pompeii

 January 13th, 2010 Today was our last day in Italy, and most of it was spent on a bus! I am saddened to leave Italy, because I am even more in love with the beauty of it’s culture, people, landscape, and food than I had been before this trip; and ... read more

Michelle Saltis

ItalyItaly

Naples and Sorrento

 January 13th, 2010 Today we were detoured to Naples because our planned trek up Mt. Vesuvius had been cancelled due to weather conditions. Naples is a wonderfully gorgeous city, nestled in between bluish-purple mountains, Mt. Vesuvius, and the teal-green waters of the calm Mediterranean Sea. There, we admired the beauty, ... read more

Michelle Saltis

ItalyItaly

The Italian Romantic Ideal Invaded

You can’t help but hear them: they’re the ones laughing so loudly they bring the room to a hush and make the sedate elder Italians reconsider their choice of seats. You can’t even help but take notice of them once they’re finally quiet, everybody looking on to see if perhaps ... read more

Richard Gerke

ItalyItaly

Adventures in Rome

 January 10-12,2010 Rome has been a whirlwind of clubs, delicious food, and beautiful architecture and history.    On our first night there, we encountered many Italian men who wanted to take us to different clubs... so what do my friend Kait and I do? We jump right into these 3 ... read more

Michelle Saltis

ItalyItaly

A Trek Through the Snow

Perhaps I slept through it that morning but I’m sure that at some ungodly hour the men and women manning the Padova Christmas markets must have released a single, cumulative curse in Padovani dialect as they gazed out their windows to the foot of snow that had fallen in the ... read more

Richard Gerke

ItalyItaly

A little Florence advice

 Someone asked for more advice about living in Florence so here it goes.... despite the rumor that Italians can be harsh (and some are, of course), for the most part the people in Florence are extremely nice. Florence isn't like Rome or Milan. Both of those are big cities and ... read more

Chelsea Young

FranceFrance

ItalyItaly

United StatesUnited States

Why I travel

It's mid-semester, my first semester as a graduate student in professional writing. I've been meaning to blog for quite some time now, but somewhere between schoolwork and the constant cycle of reading and writing that is the so-called lifestyle of a writer, it's been pushed back. I just finished a ... read more

Chelsea Young

ItalyItaly

The Beginning--L'inizio

It's difficult to decide where to start writing.  The thoughts of each day seem like they could fill a novel.  We are learning the language, the culture, the history, the lay of the land, the customs, the transportation, and then simple things like how to use the gas stove and ... read more

Carly Kratzer

ItalyItaly

Venice to Paderno

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Adjusting to the time in Italy was certainly ... read more

Jock Nielson

GermanyGermany

ItalyItaly

Arriving in Italy

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Usually when you see a family of 5 ... read more

Jock Nielson

ItalyItaly

Celebrate small victories!

My mom suggested I do as the Romans do, but that I don't do the Romans... I've got a guy at home I'm pretty happy with, so this wasn't too tough to follow. It was my roommate who finished the phrase off with something I think my mom would be ... read more

Amy Smith

ItalyItaly

Seneca on Travel

This is one of my favorite travel essays ever, written around the first century AD. I include it here for all those studying abroad. I found it on Lapham's Quarterly, an awesome publication whose most recent edition was on Travel. The title is linked to the page I found it on originally. ... read more

Austin Y

see all blogs |

Popular Topics

» All Topics

Photos
-->
Advertisements

Getting Around

Take a boat from Italy to Greece

Alixandra Green

01 Sep 2009

Italy

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/it.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_transportation_.png

Alixandra Green

/tips/topic/getting-around/

/tips/country/IT/

/accounts/16086/profile/

The best way to travel from Italy to Greece is by boat. There are ships that leave every day, and there couldn't be a more picturesque way to travel between these two beautiful destinations. There are always seats and beds available for every price range, too.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_transportation_.png

Comments [ 1 ]

Culture Shock

A stranger in your own life

Chelsea Young

27 Aug 2009

Italy

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/it.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_cultureshock.png

Chelsea Young

/tips/topic/culture-shock/

/tips/country/IT/

/accounts/11965/profile/

I studied abroad in Florence for four months and as it was my first time abroad, everything was new and exciting, but also, at times, a little intimidating. For the first time, I felt like a stranger in my own life -- in a completely new place with no one I knew. To adjust I found it best to establish some sort of routine in my new home. Every Tuesday, I went to the open-air market to shop and then walked over to a favorite sandwich shop nearby. Becoming familiar with certain places or areas allowed me to feel more like a local and to make Florence my own. When I left at the end of my program, I felt that I was leaving my home, Florence, and my family -- the people who had experienced it with me.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_cultureshock.png

Comments [ 3 ]

Must Do

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is best visited at 3 a.m.

Michael Amico

22 Oct 2009

Italy

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/it.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_mustdo.png

Michael Amico

/tips/topic/must-do/

/tips/country/IT/

/accounts/18357/profile/

If you want to see the tower, go at 3 a.m. like I did. My traveling companions and I had a layover on a train back from Florence so we walked to the tower. It's completely deserted and everything you want to see is lit up nicely. The one security guard there even told us where to stand to get the best cliché leaning tower photo -- so it looks like we're holding it up.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_mustdo.png

Comments [ 1 ]

Etiquette

Don't share a plate

Michelle Saltis

12 Jan 2010

Italy

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/it.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_etiquette.png

Michelle Saltis

/tips/topic/etiquette/

/tips/country/IT/

/accounts/19916/profile/

Sharing a meal with a friend is apparently unacceptable in Italy. When out with friends, we shared a plate of pasta because we were not very hungry. The waiters pointed and laughed at us while we ate, and talked among themselves.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_etiquette.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Food

3 common misconceptions about Italian food

Michelle Saltis

12 Jan 2010

Italy

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/it.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_food.png

Michelle Saltis

/tips/topic/food/

/tips/country/IT/

/accounts/19916/profile/

There are definitely some discrepancies between what North Americans think of as Italian food and what is actually served in Italy. Here are a few that I have found: 1. Fettucini Alfredo does not exist in Italy 2. A mixed-green salad consisted of warm spinach and a lemon 3. Spaghetti and meatballs are eaten separately

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_food.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Health

How toilet seat covers are going to pay my way through college.

Alessandra Roqueta

05 Mar 2009

Italy

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/it.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_health.png

Alessandra Roqueta

/tips/topic/health/

/tips/country/IT/

/accounts/facebook_429193/profile/

In Italy, for hygienic purposes, you must wear plastic gloves when touching fruit at the grocery store. There's also a change bowl to avoid hand-to-hand contact when exchanging cash. In an Italian bathroom my mom happened upon "the million dollar idea" that was going to put me through college: to become the Italian supplier of paper toilet seat covers (move over Kimberly Clark). Now living in Italy I find it strangely ironic that people don’t want strangers' hands touching their fruit, yet they are more than willing to share a cheek-to-cheek bathroom session with them. Then again, some bathrooms have solved the problem by eliminating the toilet seat altogether, and with that I have learned the secret to Italian women's built thighs: squats.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_health.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Nightlife

Know how to turn them down before you go out

Michelle Saltis

12 Jan 2010

Italy

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/it.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_nightlife.png

Michelle Saltis

/tips/topic/nightlife/

/tips/country/IT/

/accounts/19916/profile/

When out clubbing in Italy, it's a good idea to learn a key few phrases. My friend and I were out clubbing and it was very difficult to convey that we did not want to go home with our Italian escorts. This one phrase could have saved those boys from a lot of confusion.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_nightlife.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Being an American

Italian Military Boys

Madeline Jhawar

27 Mar 2009

Italy

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/it.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_american.png

Madeline Jhawar

/tips/topic/being-an-american/

/tips/country/IT/

/accounts/13216/profile/

A friend and I were on a train from Milan to Vicenza, chatting to each other in English, even though we both spoke fluent Italian. It was the end of our AFS exchange year, and we were aware that the car was full of Italian military boys who wanted to get to know American girls. We listened as they hatched a plan to talk to us, and -- hearing all of the plotting -- decided we weren't interested. When one of them came to talk to us, and asked in simple Italian where we were from, we answered in a complete, grammatically correct, Italian sentence. It was enough to send him back to his seat and face smirks from his friends. Lessons: 1) learn the language, 2) learn the language, and 3) learn the language!

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_american.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Or login with Facebook:

Forgot your password? We can help you change it! Click Here

Not registered? Click here to create an account.